Immigrants are marching. French students are marching.

[Atman]

Joe Sixpack is sitting on his fat ass watching it all on teevee as BushCo destroys America.

What is wrong with this picture?

[rodeodance]

1. nothing. the disenfanchised are protesting. Need more ot it.

[Atman]

4. What about the "franchised?"

Americans of all walks, except for Bush's 1% and the extreme right, are also among the disenfranchised, thanks to BushCo. No security, no jobs, no representational government. And what are we/they doing? Watching French students on television, doing EXACTLY what we should be doing!

[400Years]

2. I guess joe sixpack is irrelevant

[dusmcj]

3. and we had 1000 people in NYC on March 19.

I guess it's now proven that we're irrelevant too. Fucking shame.

[Bluzmann57]

5. Well speaking as Joe sixpack

and having a fat ass as well, I feel that some of us are doing what we can. But we do have jobs and responsibilities. So what we can do can be limited sometimes. I write Harkin regularly, canvass for local as well as state and national candidates, sign petitions, write letters to the editor of a local paper. I even donate money on occasion. What more can a Joe sixpack do? Can't do each and every protest.

[Hardrada]

6. We were marching in Iowa against the Bush war

200 of us and that's not bad for Iowa City on a cold windy day.

[Bluzmann57]

7. Yeah I know about that

I have even taken part in anti-war protests. I didn't make that one in IC though. Cold and windy, as well as a family matter I had to deal with. As I said, us Joe Six Packs actually have responsibilities. Now I'm not saying that nobody else does, it's just the tone of the original poster's post which sorta got to me. He, or she may not have meant anything by it, but we really need to unite.

[Atman]

10. We do need to unite. That was my only point.

I am the OP, and I understand what you're saying. I figured some of the hard-working activists on DU would take offense at being labeled "fat asses," but seriously, what are we talking about here? Nothing less than the dismantling of our democracy. In France, they're marching about labor laws. Hispanics are marching all over the US about immigration laws.

But where are the massive marches -- the half-million or more -- in support of our democracy? Against the Bush regime's fascist takeover. You inadvertantly hit on part of the problem, and I mean no insult by it, it just stood out when I read the words..."I didn't make that one in IC though. Cold and windy..." To be perfectly fair, you also added that a "family matter" precluded you from marching. But really..."it was too cold and windy" to fight for your children's future? Your own rights? To uphold the honor of the thousands of men and women who died fighting tyranny so that we could sit on our fat asses? It's too cold?

I guess my point is, war is tough, and we're at war. BushCo knows it, and is fighting the battle they want to fight. And they're winning. Meanwhile, we -- me included -- aren't out in the streets of Washington demanding our representative goverment back. We're watching French students on the Corporate Media, while our former "representatives" fritter away more of our once and future grandchildrens' rights, security and finances.

I guess we get what we deserve.

[Hardrada]

13. If you check, you will see that the SDS is back

and some of us are organizing chapters since it is obvious we need organizations that are not part of the problem. There is an SDS website now. Join us.

[blogslut]

8. Vive la France

and all but how come Americans are watching non-stop coverage of protests in France? Where is the love for the thousands of high school students walking in protest on American streets today?

[Bluzmann57]

9. Here's some love for them

I heard in L.A. there is a lockdown going on so that students can't walk out. Sounds sorta like martial law to me. But I'm just a Joe SixPack with a fat ass, so what do I know?

[Hardrada]

14. I know you're OK. We'll seeya at the next one.

Family problems do come up, elderly relatives needing help etc.

[coalition_unwilling]

16. The high-school student walk-outs are awesome in Los Angeles

Yesterday, acc. to L.A.U.S.D., 22,000 hs students walked out. They really fucked up traffic in large parts of the city and the LAPD couldn't do a damned thing about it. (Imagine the televison if LAPD started beating in the heads of unarmed hs students.)

This morning, at 8 a.m. PST, a group of about 100 from Venice H.S. walked by my apartment on Venice Blvd. while it was raining cats and dogs. I rushed outside with my "Pinche Bush" sign to demonstrate solidarity with them.

I really think the high school students in L.A. don't even realize their power. They're walking in solidarity with Latinos but many of the walk-outs are of other ethnic backgrounds. It's absolutely wonderful to see.

[Marie26]

11. They care more.

That's the only conclusion I can come to.

[sui generis]

12. joe sixpack thinks that people with civil rights problems deserve

the problems they have. Unreasonable search and seizure, you did something wrong. Tried to get gay married? You did something wrong. Sent off to GitMo or back to Mexico, you know the refrain . . .

It's that simple.

[rman]

15. They might get support from their parent's generation,

many of whom have been political activists.
Then they'd have a general labor strike.
Way to go.

[coalition_unwilling]

17. It's 1968 all over again! Viva la revolucion!